Marine in California tackles high school students during brawl

Posted: Fri 1:05 PM, Sep 13, 2019&nbsp|&nbsp

Updated: Fri 1:10 PM, Sep 13, 2019

STOCKTON, Calif. (KTXL/CNN) - A school fight came to an unexpected end when a Marine, who was at Edison High School to help with military recruitment, sprinted toward two students mid-brawl and tackled them to the ground.

A school fight in Stockton, Calif. came to an unexpected end. A video shows a Marine, who was on Edison High School's campus
to help with military recruitment, sprinting toward two students mid-brawl and tackling the pair to the ground. (Source: KTXL, Tribune via CNN)

Since then, the Marine, identified as 18-year-old Josue Valdez Sarmiento, has been reassigned to office duties and is no longer allowed around students.

Sarmiento is also a recent graduate of Edison High School.

Mario Patino, an Edison High School parent, said the video was "upsetting" and that he thought it showed "unnecessary force."

“This is a grown man that's extremely well-built, obviously. And from the impact that you see, he took down these two kids with no second thought. He just took them down and hurt them and that’s not OK," Patino said.

Other parents said the actions were justified because he stopped the fight from escalating.

"I believe in discipline. These kids were not behaving. Someone's got to stop it," said a parent.

A military spokesperson said they are proud of the Marine for responding to what appeared to be a dangerous situation, but noted his actions could have been improved.

"He wanted to do what was right for the school and stand up against violence," said U.S. Marine Sgt. Jocelyn Ontiveros.

Ontiveros said Sarmiento received counseling and learned how to better respond to these types of situations in the future.

School officials have not released the conditions of the two students, according to a report from KTXL.

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